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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Listen. Several moments of this book were fantastic - Tesla & Shal's relationship, Piper's screentime, Fantine's screentime, Gimlet - but several also fell flat or felt like they dragged in weird ways. I wasn't a huge fan of the resolution of the mystery, and I felt that Tesla really pushed through her disability in ways that should've rebounded back on her much worse. Girl, there are only so many times you can mention your pain but not how it's physically affecting you before I just get tired. Kowal does a great job with how she's thought about pain relief in a sci-fi future, but something here didn't quite work for me.
That being said. This is worth reading for the characters alone, especially if you're willing to overlook a frankly bonkers plot. Plot alone has never kept my from liking a book, so it was worth it to me. Also, the atmosphere of the writing was great, and that's nearly as important.
That being said. This is worth reading for the characters alone, especially if you're willing to overlook a frankly bonkers plot. Plot alone has never kept my from liking a book, so it was worth it to me. Also, the atmosphere of the writing was great, and that's nearly as important.
Overall, I enjoyed it. I like Kowal's writing style, and she creates interesting characters. I also like the fact that she throws you in the middle of their lives. It can sometimes feel like you are not reading a standalone, or you started with the second book instead of the first of a series. But that's how real life works anyway. You don't normally meet people at the beginning of their story.
Having said that, I'm still a little confused about the ending, as it seemed to come out of nowhere. I will need to go back and reread to see if it's something I missed, or if it is written that way.
Having each chapter paired with a cocktail is a great conceit. Some look tastier than others, and there's a good mix of alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails so that there's something for everyone.
Having said that, I'm still a little confused about the ending, as it seemed to come out of nowhere. I will need to go back and reread to see if it's something I missed, or if it is written that way.
Having each chapter paired with a cocktail is a great conceit. Some look tastier than others, and there's a good mix of alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails so that there's something for everyone.
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A solid read! And Gimlet is the best dog every.
That being said, the incompetence of some characters grew grating after awhile, and while I enjoyed our main character, Tesla's privilege did grow annoying after some time--I kept expecting her to grow, just a little, but she ultimately did not. It's accurate for the super wealthy, but left her feeling a little flat as a character.
The mystery was entertaining, though, and I enjoyed the small bits of science regarding the ship they were travelling on. Overall, a solid and enjoyable read!
That being said, the incompetence of some characters grew grating after awhile, and while I enjoyed our main character, Tesla's privilege did grow annoying after some time--I kept expecting her to grow, just a little, but she ultimately did not. It's accurate for the super wealthy, but left her feeling a little flat as a character.
The mystery was entertaining, though, and I enjoyed the small bits of science regarding the ship they were travelling on. Overall, a solid and enjoyable read!
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh, Tesla was under no illusions that being innocent would keep him out of prison.
Money would, though.
This book has lots of strong points, exactly the sort I’ve come to expect from Mary Robinette Kowal’s writing: easy, readable prose, a strong mixture of sci-fi STEM stuff and human experiences, some joyous quirkiness, and strong characterization. Unfortunately, I didn’t click with the main character at all. I definitely appreciated the disability rep that was exceptionally well done and relatable for me as a person with a chronically fucked-up spine. I loved Tesla’s doggo companion and the way the bond between a human and a service animal was presented. I need more service dogs in fiction! I even appreciated some of her wit and some of her thinking, but ultimately, idk. She’s the kind of person who, for me, very much falls under the Eat the Rich umbrella. Yes, she tries to acknowledge her privilege and to use it for good, sort of. She’s also quite content with throwing it around to get what she wants, to constantly feel the urge to talk to the manager, and to take her frustrations out on the small people who decide nothing. At least her husband points out her flaws to her in a loving and gentle way and she kind of listens? Though that speaks better about the husband than it does about her.
Frustrating main character aside, the mystery is fun, even if there are a couple of key points of it that rely too much on happenstance and, yes, money rather than deduction, or so I felt . The retrofuturistic setting with its mixture of high-tech and 1930s vibes is amazingly vivid and full of colorful personalities. I appreciated the inclusion of nonbinary folks and the way stating pronouns here is just a normal part of the culture. All the representation felt rather organic to me. There was some fun banter, too, and some awesome scenes with the MC and her husband being total newlyweds while also leaning into it to be sneaky and secretive under surveillance—I found those pretty fun. So all in all, a pretty good read, really. It’s just that my ever-growing aversion to the people on top of the capitalist food chain made it harder for me to engage.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Before I say anything else: Kowal writes the best husbands. Period.
THE SPARE MAN does the wonderful magic trick of feeling both vintage and futuristic at the same time. It mixes a noir detective story with a space station which is on it’s flight from earth to mars. All the cocktails in this book added to atmosphere and were the actual reason I bought this book, because I loved the idea of every chapter having it’s own recipe as a starter.
Lots of the people in this novel are intensely charming and I wonder if there will be a second novel about our protagonist-lovebirds as a detective-nerd-couple. Additionally there is a little dog, who gets lots of spotlight!
There are some points one could criticize: in the first third the pacing is a little bit slow and the conflict between enormously rich Tesla and the security chief Wisor sometimes drifts into disagreeable classism. In addition to it the privilege of wealth seems to be the most important problem solver rather than the brains of the protagonists. It is addressed sure, but still it leaves a sour tastes.
But there were also ideas which I loved very much: the whole book tries to apply the idea of gender neutrality to this genre. Not only pronouns, but descriptions as well. It even seem to be a plot tool at some points. I also found the abundance of details to create moments more often than not atmospheric and absorbing, for example discussions about fries.
Overall a very good read for making yourself comfortable in winter time while holding a cocktail in one hand and the book in the other.
“Pipers sigh was an eloquent and scathing essay on people who asked unnecessary questions that implied she was not doing her job.”
“Besides I enjoy the rituals of beverages.”
THE SPARE MAN does the wonderful magic trick of feeling both vintage and futuristic at the same time. It mixes a noir detective story with a space station which is on it’s flight from earth to mars. All the cocktails in this book added to atmosphere and were the actual reason I bought this book, because I loved the idea of every chapter having it’s own recipe as a starter.
Lots of the people in this novel are intensely charming and I wonder if there will be a second novel about our protagonist-lovebirds as a detective-nerd-couple. Additionally there is a little dog, who gets lots of spotlight!
There are some points one could criticize: in the first third the pacing is a little bit slow and the conflict between enormously rich Tesla and the security chief Wisor sometimes drifts into disagreeable classism. In addition to it the privilege of wealth seems to be the most important problem solver rather than the brains of the protagonists. It is addressed sure, but still it leaves a sour tastes.
But there were also ideas which I loved very much: the whole book tries to apply the idea of gender neutrality to this genre. Not only pronouns, but descriptions as well. It even seem to be a plot tool at some points. I also found the abundance of details to create moments more often than not atmospheric and absorbing, for example discussions about fries.
Overall a very good read for making yourself comfortable in winter time while holding a cocktail in one hand and the book in the other.
“Pipers sigh was an eloquent and scathing essay on people who asked unnecessary questions that implied she was not doing her job.”
“Besides I enjoy the rituals of beverages.”